Author: Jagharian Tania

NDP ALSO PRETENDS ON RECEIVING MAJORITY OF VOTES AT ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 18 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 18, NOYAN TAPAN. All problems accumulated in Armenia
are the consequence of one main problem: the power in the country does
not belong to the people. Shavarsh Kocharian, Chairman of National
Democratic Party (NDP), stated at the April 17 press conference.

He said that for the purpose of changing the situation NDP’s
preelectoral program envisages, in particular, creating a law,
according to which electors will have a possibility to recall not
only individual MPs, but also the whole parliament. Besides, in
S. Kocharian’s words, administrative courts should be created in
the country, which will invalidate the decisions of the authorities
violating human rights.

Another important step is rehabilitation of economy. For this purpose,
as NDP Chairman affirmed, a law should be adopted, according to
which businessmen will be prohibited to be engaged in politics and
political figures in business. S. Kocharian said that this will result
in considerable reduction of shady economy and bribery.

S. Kocharian visited the regions in the past 11 days of the agitation
campaign, he had meetings with the local residents and never met any
obstacles. He said that NDP called the people to take part in the
elections without fail.

S. Kocharian gave assurance that in case of high turnout NDP will
receive the most part of votes, "up to majority of votes."

France24, France
April 14 2006

Egypt and Armenia discuss Iran’s nuclear programme

Send by e-mail Save Print Armenian President Robert Kocharian and
President Hosni Mubarak discussed Iran’s controversial nuclear
programme in Cairo on Saturday.

"Their talks covered the Iranian nuclear issue, developments in the
region and the Gulf. Armenia is particularly interested in the
nuclear file since it shares its southern frontier with Iran,"
Suleiman Awad told journalists.

Iran says its uranium enrichment programme is for peaceful civilian
purposes, but Western states suspect it may be used to develop a
nuclear bomb, and have slapped sanctions on Tehran in a bid to get it
to halt the project.

"Iraq also featured in the discussions, which covered regional
problems in Central Asia, particularly the conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh," Awad said.

During Kocharian’s three-day visit, the interior ministers of both
countries are expected to sign accords on organised crime, judicial
cooperation and customs.

On Sunday, Kocharian will meet the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Mohammed
Sayyed Tantawi, one of the most prominent figures in Sunni Islam.

Once home to a massive Armenian community, Egypt has close historical
ties with Armenia — in 1878, Armenian Nubar Pasha became the
country’s first prime minister.

In the 1940s some 40,000 Armenians lived in Egypt, mostly in Cairo
and Alexandria, although many left in the 1960s with the rise of
Egyptian nationalism and more socialist laws that hit Armenian
businesses.

Today some 8,000 people of Armenian origin live in Egypt, according
to the community’s website.

n/administration/afp-news.html?id=070414135254.31o lu900&cat=null

PRIME MINISTER SARKISIAN BRUSHES ASIDE FEARS OF IMMINENT DESTABILIZATION

Armenpress
Apr 13 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS: Prime minister Serzh Sarkisian has
brushed aside today fears of imminent political destabilization,
saying law-enforcement agencies wield sufficient resources to prevent
any such attempt.

These fears have been prompted by the assassination attempt on the
mayor of Armenia’s second largest town of Gyumri and two successive
attacks yesterday morning on offices of the Prosperous Armenia party.

Mayor of Gyumri, Vartan Ghukasian, was seriously wounded and three of
his bodyguards were killed when their motorcade came under fire about
30 kilometers west of Yerevan on April 2 and two Yerevan offices of
the Prosperous Armenia Party were ripped through by explosions early
Thursday morning.

The attacks against party offices were condemned promptly by president
Robert Kocharian as an attempt to destabilize the political situation
in the country ahead of next month’s parliamentary elections.

Serzh Sarkisian was attending today a ceremony of handing the first
of 10 computers to the Arabkir Passport Department of Police, which is
part of a project implemented by International Foundation for Electoral
Systems (IFES) and funded by the United States government. The project
will install 45 specially-designed computers in passport offices around
the country over the next month to give voters immediate access to
their voter registry records.

Speaking to journalists after the ceremony Serzh Sarkisian said
no country is immune from crimes and the immediate function
of law-enforcement bodies is to detect and punish culprits. He
declined to link the assassination attempt on the Gyumri mayor with
election-induced processes, saying the answer should be given by
law-enforcement bodies.

Likewise he declined to give his assessment of the two explosions
that hit the offices of the Prosperous Armenia.

"I do not want to voice my opinions because I would not like to
impose them on police officers. When the masterminds and executors
are revealed, then we shall give our assessments," he said.

EUROPEANS ADVISE TO APPLY THE MECHANISM OF INKING FINGER

Panorama.am
21:33 13/04/2007

"The May 12 parliamentary elections in Armenia will be an important
touchstone of the extent of maturity of the democracy", Leo Platvoet,
Head of the delegation of PACE interim commission for observation
of the parliamentary elections in Armenia, said during meeting with
journalists today. In his words, the delegation highly assesses that
the authorities and political forces intend to conduct elections
meeting the CE standards. Moreover, all the parties are responsible
to observe the rules of the game of the real democratic process.

L. Platvoet mentioned that they have taken into account the amended
electoral code, but these they during the meetings with representatives
of the political forces they have heard concerns that the accuracy
of the electoral rolls are far from being true.

According to L. Platvoet, the delegation notes with regret that
"The majority of the players of the political process in Armenia
have not been ready to introduce the mechanism of inking of the
fingers of the electors, which has been advised by Venice". To the
question of journalists in which countries is that mechanism applied,
the delegation members mentioned Serbia, Azerbaijan, Albania.

"SOCRATES IS MY FRIEND BUT TRUTH IS DEARER STILL…" REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA TO SUPPORT NOT ITS MEMBER HAKOB HAKOBIAN BUT GENERAL SEDRAK SAROYAN

Noyan Tapan
Apr 11 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 11, NOYAN TAPAN. "Hakob Hakobian is my friend but the
party will support the candidature of Sedrak Saroyan," Galust Sahakian,
head of the RA National Assembly’s Republican Party of Armenia
(RPA) faction, stated at the April 11 press conference, responding
to reporters’ question why the RPA did not support its member Hakob
Hakobian. "It does not mean that Hakob Hakobian is extremely bad,"
G. Sahakian noted, adding that along with his unpredictability,
H. Hakobian is "a person with serious thinking."

To recap, the Republican Party of Armenia nominated the candidature
of General Sedrak Saroyan, former commander of the 4th army corps,
at electoral district No 19 of Echmiadzin, while the candidature
of RPA member, deputy Hakob Hakobian who was proposed on the civil
initiative, was not finally registered by the RPA.

As regards S. Saroyan, in the words of G. Sahakian, each person should
be assessed taking into account the way he/she passed: "Saroyan could
have been dead now, and the RPA appreciates his contribution during
the Karabakh war."

US NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY DELEGATION VISITS ARMENIA

AZG Armenian Daily
12/04/2007

A delegation from the U.S. National Defense University visited Armenia
April 8-11. The 11-member delegation consisted of senior U.S. military
officers and U.S. government officials who are studying or working
at the National Defense University.

In Armenia, the delegation met with Government officials including
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian; Adviser to the Minister of Defense
and Chief of the Institute for National Strategic Studies, Major
General Kotanjian; and Chief of the Foreign Relations and Military
Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Defense, Major General
Melkonian.

In addition, the delegation met with a number of scholars and NGO
representatives in Armenia. The group will also visit Georgia and
Azerbaijan as part of the ten months they are spending studying,
reflecting, and debating security strategy and foreign affairs.

The National Defense University prepares military and civilian leaders
from the United States and other countries to address national and
international security challenges. It prepares selected commissioned
officers and civilian officials from U.S. government agencies for
command, management, and staff responsibilities. The National Defense
University is under the direction of the Chairman of the U.S. Joint
Chiefs of Staff.

EX-MINISTER OF DEFENSE KEPT HIS PROMISE

A1+
[07:32 pm] 10 April, 2007

Serzh Sargsyan has tried to show his gift of a Prime Ministry. On
February 8, ex-minister of defense promised to set working the Chemical
factory which is of vital importance for the Vanadzor residents.

The factory will start working one of these days.

Great efforts were made to fulfill Prime Minister’s promise. RA
Minister of Energy Armen Movsisyan personally deals with this matter
and makes sure about the deadlines. ‘I believe we’ll manage to bring
once fame to the factory, thus employing thousands of people in
Vanadzor.’ Armen Movsisyan claimed after his last visit to Vanadzor.

In spite of the active works in the factory, people have very little
hope for the factory opening. They consider it to be just a political
maneuver at the threshold of NA elections

In respond to the residents’ meditations, the Minister of Defense
assures that no band will be cut. "To remind, I first made the
announcement three months ago. The Election Day was not fixed then. We
can postpone the opening after the elections if this helps," Armen
Movsisyan told.

Anyways, the factory will set working as soon as possible. 30% of
the salary has been redeemed. They will start employment procedures
on April 4.

Firstly, carbide workshop will be set in action.

Secondly, they will produce corundum which is stipulated in a
month. Thus all types of production as well as new ones are due
to restore.

RETIRED GENERAL ACCUSED OF BULLYING RIVAL CANDIDATES
By Ruzanna Stepanian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep
April 9 2007

Tensions were rising on Monday in an electoral district south of
Yerevan where the top pro-government candidate, the recently retired
General Seyran Saroyan, was implicated in attacks against his two
challengers reported over the weekend.

Hakob Hakobian, a controversial member of Armenia’s outgoing
parliament, claimed that unknown gunmen shot at his car while he
dined in a restaurant in the town of Echmiadzin on Sunday. The other
challenger, Susanna Harutiunian, reported an arson attack on her
campaign headquarters in Echmiadzin on the same day.

Both candidates pointed the finger at Saroyan, who has been endorsed
by the governing Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). But Saroyan
strongly denied the allegations, saying that his rivals themselves
stage-managed the attacks in order to discredit him.

"We suspect that police officers were among the shooters," Hakobian
told RFE/RL. He alleged that they acted on orders from the regional
governor who in turn received instructions from Saroyan. "The governor
is doing everything to create an atmosphere of fear in the area ahead
of the elections," Hakobian said.

"He is trying to throw mud at me without feeling ashamed," countered
the feared general, who holds sway in Echmiadzin and the surrounding
area. "I guess even you won’t believe that I could have done such a
cheap thing," he told RFE/RL.

"Seyran Saroyan has once again proved that he is nuts," shot back
Hakobian. "How can someone shoot at himself?"

Police in Echmiadzin said they have launched a criminal investigation
into the reported shooting. They were also conducting forensic tests
at Harutiunian’s office to determine whether it was damaged by fire
or an arson attack.

Saroyan resigned as commander of Armenia’s Fourth Army Corps and was
discharged from the armed forces earlier this year to be able to run
for parliament. The move provoked speculation that the HHK is trying to
make sure that Hakobian, who joined the ruling party last year, is not
reelected to the National Assembly. Hakobian, better known as Choyt,
was charged with assault and tax evasion after allegedly instigating
a mass brawl outside a gas station near Echmiadzin last October.

In a further blow to the disgraced parliamentarian, the district
election commission has registered another candidate affiliated with
the HHK and named Hakob Hakobian. The latter is currently trying to
ensure that his influential namesake is disqualified from the race,
accusing him of forging voters’ signatures to win registration.

A court in Echmiadzin continued to consider the obscure candidate’s
complaint, endorsed by Saroyan, amid tight security on Monday.

Special police units from Yerevan were deployed in and round the
court house to prevent possible clashes between supporters of the
rival sides. "We have made commitments to different programmes and
we think compliance is in our interest," he said. We want to become
part of the European family."

GORKY, L’OUBLIE DE L’ABSTRACTION
Philippe Dagen

Le Monde, France
6 avril 2007 vendredi

ARTS

Deux expositions parisiennes font redecouvrir l’oeuvre fondatrice du
peintre, mort en 1948

Arshile Gorky a ete l’un des grands peintres de l’expressionnisme
abstrait americain. Il est l’auteur de quelques chefs-d’oeuvre du
genre, avant De Kooning ou Rothko. Arshile Gorky est neanmoins le moins
connu des artistes de cette generation new-yorkaise. En France, il a
ete peu montre : la dernière fois, c’etait en 1985. Deux expositions
parisiennes, au Centre culturel Calouste-Gulbenkian et au Centre
Pompidou, quoique chacune de dimensions reduites, font aujourd’hui
une bonne introduction a l’oeuvre.

Pourquoi est-elle si meconnue ? Parce que l’oeuvre s’est interrompue
très vite et parce que Gorky a tout fait, de son vivant, pour demeurer
insaisissable – et le reste aujourd’hui.

Sa fin d’abord : en juillet 1948, Gorky, âge de 44 ans, se suicide
parce que sa femme l’a quitte pour le surrealiste Roberto Matta ;
mais aussi parce que le bras avec lequel il peint est paralyse a la
suite d’un accident de voiture et d’une mauvaise fracture ; et encore
parce qu’il souffre des sequelles d’un cancer opere en 1946.

Or, en 1948, son art n’a pris singularite et ampleur que depuis peu.

Ses premières toiles degagees de toute influence datent des annees
1943 et 1944, au moment où il rencontre son defenseur le plus puissant,
Andre Breton. Quatre ans pour edifier une oeuvre, c’est peu.

L’autre raison tient a la vie de l’artiste et a sa manière de se
presenter – de se cacher. En 1904, Arshile Gorky est ne Manoug Adolan
dans un village au bord du lac de Van, en Armenie. Il n’a invente son
pseudonyme que vers 1922, deux ans après son arrivee aux Etats-Unis.

Entre-temps, il a subi avec sa mère et sa soeur le bombardement de
Van par les Turcs. Il a connu les fuites, la misère, la terreur des
massacres commis par les troupes ottomanes. Survivant du genocide
armenien, il a vu mourir sa mère du typhus.

USAGE TROUBLANT DU PASSE

Or, de ces faits dont on suppose qu’ils ont eu une importance decisive
pour lui, Gorky fait un usage troublant. Aux Etats-Unis, il se pretend
parfois russe et ne dement pas toujours ceux qui le croient apparente
a Maxime Gorki. Il affirme avoir ete l’elève de Kandinsky en 1920,
ce qui est impossible. Il suggère que sa peinture ne se comprend
qu’en reference a ses souvenirs d’enfance et dit aussi qu’il revient
au spectateur " d’y trouver sa propre signification ".

Il se reclame si souvent de ses maîtres – Cezanne, Picasso, Miro –
qu’il paraît se placer, par incertitude ou par crainte, en position
de disciple. La critique lui attribue des charmes orientaux, une
sensualite qui serait " le produit raffine d’une tradition francaise
" et, simultanement, le merite d’etre l’un " des très rares peintres
americains " dont l’importance depasse les frontières du pays. Rien
de tout cela ne rend plus clair son cas.

Il vaut donc mieux ne se fonder que sur les toiles et les dessins
montres au Centre culturel Calouste-Gulbenkian et au Centre Pompidou.

On y voit un jeune artiste qui, a partir de la fin des annees 1920,
assimile par l’imitation l’art moderne qu’il decouvre dans les
livres, les revues et les collections new-yorkaises. Picasso l’obsède
longtemps, autant le Picasso cubiste que le pseudo-grec de 1921 et
le quasi-surrealiste de 1932.

LONGUE INCUBATION

Gorky experimente la deformation expressive des corps et des objets
jusqu’aux confins de l’abstraction biomorphique. Des traces de Leger
et d’Helion se reconnaissent, avant que Miro ne devienne decisif
dans le dessin sinueux de symboles sexuels et de formes vegetales
et organiques. Cette periode d’incubation dure longtemps chez Gorky,
comme chez son ami De Kooning.

Elle prend fin pendant la guerre, au moment où l’arrivee des
surrealistes parisiens en exil aurait pu alourdir le poids de
leur influence sur Gorky, comme s’il trouvait enfin la force de se
liberer. Des couleurs très diluees glissent sur un dessin de plus
en plus elliptique. Les allusions au paysage s’allègent jusqu’a
l’effacement. Jardin a Sochi, Cascade, Journal d’un seducteur,
Agonie : il suffit de ces peintures admirables, jamais vues en France
auparavant, et de leur cortège de grands dessins tatoues au pastel
pour etablir la magnificence de Gorky quand, soudain, elle eclate et
rayonne. Une retrospective complète lui sera consacree a Philadelphie
en 2009. En Europe, elle fera etape a Londres, a la Tate Modern. Et
pourquoi pas, enfin, a Paris ?

Centre culturel Calouste-Gulbenkian,51, avenue d’Iena, Paris-16e. Mo
Iena. Tel. : 01-53-23-93-93. Du lundi au vendredi, de 9 heures a 17
h 30. Jusqu’au 4 juin. Centre Pompidou,Paris-4e. Tel. : 01-44-78-12-33.

Du mercredi au lundi, de 11 heures a 21 heures. Jusqu’au 4 juin. 10 ¤.

–Boundary_(ID_KH177/N7yTJwInN3MCNSuw)–

NAGORNO KARABAKH PROBLEM HINDERS REALIZATION OF U.S. IDEAS IN CAUCASUS

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.04.2007 19:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Paramount importance of the South Caucasus in
military-strategic plan made its economic importance secondary,
however such a development of events contradicts interests of the
countries in the region," Russian political scientist Alexander Krilov
says. In his article titled "South Caucasus: bridgehead instead of
capitalistic paradise" he underlines all the countries in the region
are vitally interested in making the South Caucasus a key player in
transit of energy resources from the Central Asia.

"But because of the unsettled Nagorno Karabakh problem from the very
beginning Armenia occurred out of the process of building energy
corridors. As a result only Azerbaijan and Georgia can claim to the
role of transit states. The Bush Administration thinks, it would be the
best variant if Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia simultaneously access
NATO. Official Tbilisi holds to such a perspective with enthusiasm
and Baku with some stipulations (Azerbaijan demands first of all
to withdraw Armenian troops from the Nagorno Karabakh and other
"occupied" territories and bring it back under the jurisdiction of
Azeri government)", the Russian political scientist writes.

He says, the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the
unsettled Nagorno Karabakh conflict hinders realization of U.S. ideas
in Caucasus. "Still the United States and his allies have not found
mutually acceptable compromise between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In
such conditions Washington refused from the plan to include the whole
South Caucasus in NATO.

Instead it is made clear that Washington is for Georgia’s accession
to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization," says Krilov in his article
published in "New Policy" web-site.